


Melanin (Or Lack Thereof)

by Dusty_Forgotten



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3
Genre: Albinism, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 02:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7415425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusty_Forgotten/pseuds/Dusty_Forgotten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How else are you supposed to match that picture of Catherine and James when James's skin tone matches yours?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Melanin (Or Lack Thereof)

Erin has her father’s eyes, his way with words, love of learning, and bull-headed determination. Since her mother died in childbirth, the only things she knows she got from her is an X chromosome and a couple lowercase letters for the Punnett Squares. Interesting genetics, Catherine must have had, because while James wears his pecan hair and hazel eyes, Catherine was all dominant alleles— but she kept those to herself.

Erin supposes she should be grateful it was her mother with the mixed up genes, because if it had been her father, no one would be believe he was actually her dad. People of African descent have a much higher chance of albinism than other races, so it makes sense an African American woman birthed a pale-skinned, blue-eyed baby.

Try telling that to the Tunnel Snakes.

Some dumbass up at Vault-Tec decided that while lipstick and aftershave and gallons of pomade were important supplies for a vault, sunscreen was not. They live underground, who’s gonna need it, right? First off, they’ve gotta leave the vault someday, and without sunscreen, it’s going to be a world of pain and skin cancer. Secondly, though sunlamps aren’t as likely to burn you up as the actual sun, for someone with little to no melanin (or hats, sunglasses, or SPF) it’s still pretty damn likely. By the time she was out of high school, Erin quit coming up from her room (or the reactor level) before the vault went dark in fluorescent nightlights at nine pm. That and her skin tone, she’s pretty sure Pepper Gomez was the first one to call her a vampire, but plenty of the other residents followed her example.

Doesn’t bother her, though. She fit right in at Meresti.


End file.
